Page 29 of Angel Lost (Fates Academy #3)

Chapter Twenty-nine: Chano

The punch bag groans under my fists, the chains rattling like bones in a storm. I’m hitting too hard, again. Dr. Mendez would have a whole speech about this, something about “impulse control” and “anger as an unmet need.”

He’d tell me to breathe through the rage. That violence isn’t the answer. Hades’ sake, I’m a demon. Violence is my first language.

The gym’s nearly empty, just me and the wolves. Alairik and Raff move together in the ring, all fluid footwork and sharp movements, sweat gleaming on their backs. They’re not even sparring anymore, just stretching, breathing. Waiting.

I pull Lottie’s note from my pocket and smooth it out for the hundredth time. The paper is creased and worn, the words burned into my skull.

We found a way to be more. Real power—the kind that matters. We’re taking it. No one can stop us, so don’t try.

My sister’s handwriting, bold and certain. She signed it with a knife. Lottie—cut into the page. I exhale hard and shove it back into my pocket.

Raff paws at my shoulder, making a low sound in his throat. “Still brooding?”

Alairik drops onto the mat beside me, head tilting. “You keep beating on that thing, you’ll break it. And then you’ll have to explain to your therapist how you murdered an innocent punch bag.”

“Dr. Mendez can kiss my ass. ”

Alairik grins, teeth flashing. “You say that, but you still go to your sessions.”

The asshole thinks it’s hilarious. I roll my shoulders. “Mandatory.”

I turn back to the bag and slam my fist into it. The chain creaks and stuffing bursts from a fresh split in the leather.

The shifters exchange a look.

I exhale slowly. “I think my tios had a hand in Lottie’s disappearance.”

The words drop between us like a body hitting concrete. Neither of them argues.

Alairik scratches his jaw. “Could be they just didn’t stop her.”

Raff shakes his head. “Could be they pushed her.”

I already know how this goes. The tios have wanted to take over the gang for years, but they can’t challenge me—not yet. But once I ascend? If the angels deem I’m too powerful to stay in this dimension? My tios might only have to wait a couple of years. And getting rid of my successor, a mere sixteen-year-old girl, is a hell of a lot easier than fighting me head-on.

“I need to know for sure.”

Raff bares his teeth in something that isn’t quite a smile. “So we’re paying them a visit?”

Alairik nudges my shoulder. “Demon diplomacy?”

I grin. “Something like that.”

The portal crackles open, its oil-slick sheen catching the lamplight. The magic tugs at my gut, familiar but never comfortable, and then we’re spat out onto Maverik turf, the warm night air thick with the scent of citrus.

It’s quiet. Mi mami’s shutters are closed, lights out. Long in bed, thank all the hells.

Raff and Alairik appear beside me, shaking off the residual magic like dogs shaking off rain. I roll my shoulders. It’s time.

Ahead, the bar is still lit, the murmur of conversation drifting through the open doors into the flagstone courtyard. The scent of spiced meat and cigars hangs in the air, thick, cloying .

The hum of conversation dies the moment I enter. The gang members turn, eyes flicking to me and the two wolves at my back. Raff cracks his knuckles. Alairik lets out a low, almost amused growl.

“Out.” My voice is quiet, but it carries. “Except my tios .”

No one argues. Chairs scrape against the floor, muttered curses filling the space as they shuffle past me toward the door. The bartender hesitates until Alairik snaps his teeth, just a little too close to his arm, and then he’s gone too.

Now, it’s just me, Tio Mateo, and Tio Nico.

Mateo leans back in his chair, big belly stretching against his shirt. He was a monster once, back when he ran jobs. Now he’s just fat and slow, trying to sit like he owns the room. Nico’s the opposite—stick-thin, with his little mustache twitching as he watches me, calculating. He doesn’t lean back. He doesn’t pretend to be comfortable. He knows exactly what I am.

The silence stretches, the tension thick enough to choke on. Then, I hold up the note, Lottie’s words crumpled in my fist.

“You had nothing to do with this?” My voice is level, but the demon in me is coiled tight, restless.

Mateo makes a sound low in his throat. “If I had, you think I’d be sitting here, sobrino ?”

Nico shrugs, eyes never leaving mine. “She’s your problem, not ours.” A slow smirk. “But I won’t lie, her running off does make things…easier.”

The words slam into my chest like a punch.

There it is.

They didn’t send her away, but they were waiting for it to happen. Maybe even nudging it along. Rage coils in my gut. My vision sharpens. My claws itch to come out.

I move before I’ve decided to. One second, Nico’s in his chair. The next, he’s pinned against the wall, feet kicking inches off the floor.

“You praying, tio ?” My voice is low, dangerous.

He chokes out a laugh. “Wouldn’t do much good, would it? ”

I bare my teeth, fangs pressing against my lip. “Listen well. I will find my sister, and bring her home. And if Lottie so much as whispers that you had more to do with this than you’re letting on, I will come back here and rip you apart. Understood?”

Mateo shifts in his chair, but doesn’t move to help his brother. Smart .

Nico’s lips twitch. “Enjoy your life while you have it, sobrino .” His voice is almost pleasant. Almost amused. “Because when you leave, this turf will belong to those who remain.” I drop him and he lands hard, wheezing. Then, I turn my back—the biggest insult I can give. Raff and Alairik follow, silent, but simmering with fury.

The portal spills open before me, waiting. I don’t look back.

My dorm room is dark, Lorelei curled up under the blankets, her breathing slow and even. Oblivious. I slump on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing. Nico’s words curl through my mind like smoke.

“Enjoy your life while you have it.”